'04 Silver Bluff grad to run down Mass. coast for Operation Smile

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A 2004 graduate of Silver Bluff High School now in his third year of dental school at Harvard University has enlisted the help of 11 classmates to join him in a 200-mile race down the coast of Massachusetts to raise money for children with congenital facial deformities.

The group aims to raise $10,000 for the international nonprofit organization Operation Smile, which, since 1982, has given surgeries to children with conditions such as cleft palate or cleft lip who cannot afford or obtain them.

The race will begin in Boston, and the team will be broken into two groups of six, said Brian Kinard, who is from Beech Island. The groups will drive in separate vans, and one vanload of people will sleep while the other follows a team member who will be running, and then they will switch. True to relay style, one team member will be running at any given time during the 200-mile race.

Kinard has participated in various volunteer activities, including providing dental care for homeless teenagers at a night clinic and raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project.

"That's the beauty of growing up in a small town like Beech Island - everyone works together to make big things happen. You can apply that lesson to every aspect of your life," he said.

The third annual event will take place May 6-7, and through the generosity of friends, family and other acquaintances, the group has already collected a few thousand dollars.

People from across the country come to Massachusetts to participate in the event each year, Kinard said, and he and his 11 classmates, all of whom are third-year dental students, are looking forward to participating.

"We are excited to be part of an activity that will not only challenge us physically but also give us the opportunity to represent and support an organization such as Operation Smile," said Kinard.

For more information about Kinard and his classmates' efforts or Operation Smile or to make a donation to his team, visit http://support.operationsmile.org/goto/HSDM2012.

Contact Anna Dolianitis at adolianitis@aikenstandard.com.